Self-playing musical instrument.



No. 814,678. y PATBNTLL 1111111.13, 1906.

- L. B. DOMAN. SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMBNT,

APPLICATION FILD AUG. 24| 1904.

l @zu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEWIS B. DO MAN, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMPHION.

PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF ELBR] DGE, .NEW YORK, A CORPORA- TION OF NEl/V YORK.

SELF-PLAYING. AMUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

N o. 814,678. Speccaton of Letters Patent. atentecl March 13. 1906. Application filed August 24, 1904,. Serial No, 221,996.

T0. (1l/Z wil/Omit 772/011/ CWI/06TH.: 5 plished by 'various forms of yieldinpr washers Be it known that I, LEwrs B. DOMAN, of or connections between opposite faces of the Elbridge,inthe county of Onondaga, in the combined shelves.

State of New York, have invented new and In Figure 1 l have slmwn a series ol' shelves useful Improvements in Self-Playing Musical with interposed separators or spacing-blocks Instruments, of which the following, taken in `and yielding clamping'-washers at one or connection with the accompanying drawings, both ends oi'y the clamping-bolts. -In Fig. 2 isafulhclear, and exact description. I have shown a transverse sectional view This invention relates to improvements in through one end ol' the shelves, having the pneumatic self-playing musical instruments, vertical air-passage and a springy connected and refers-more particularly to the means to suitable anchors on the upper and lower for clamping separate valve-shelves or windshelves. chests together. A` represents a series oi' h nizontally-dis- In my pending application', Serial No. posed valve-shelves arranged one above the 109,692, iiled May 31, 1902-, I iiave'sllown a lother and spaced apart by suitable separat- )lurality of separable valve-shelves super- 'ing-blocks a, which are located 'near the ends imposed one above the other and each conof the shelves. llach of these shelves is conitaining a series of valves in operative relation posed of horizontal layers 1, 2, and 3 oi wood with corresponding finger-levers'ifor controlor other suitable material, and between each ling the action ofV the keys of a musical inlayer is interposed a packing 4, of paper, strument. These shelves are built up in secleather, or equivalent substance, for the purtions, and each inclusesan,exhaust-chamber, .pose ol." 'forming an air-tight joint.v These which is common to all of the valves and layers 1, 2, and 3 are constructed and united key-operating pneumatics of that particular to forni and ine-lose an interior exhaust chamshelf', and these exhaust-chambers are conber 5,and these shelves and separator-l)locks nected-to each other by an air-passage assare formed with alined `vertical openings (i ing,r vertically through the shelves, sait airand 7 near the ends of the shelves through passage being in communication with the which pass vertical claniping-lxilts 8 and 9, power pneumatic or main bellows, whereby a Fig, 1. The vertical openingT o is formed by partial vacuum is maintained in the exhaustregistering wind-ports in contiguous sides oi chambers. The action o. the valves is conthe shelves and constitutes an air-passage trolled by a perforated n'iusie-sheet'y passing which communicates with all ol the exhaustover asuitable tracker-board havingitsducts chambers 5 and is provided with a branch in communication with the primary pneuconduit lt), which is adapted to be connected .matics. These shelves are usually formed of in any desired manner to the air-exhausting wood composed oi layers of boards, and in device or main bellows. (Not shown.)

o order to make the joints air-tight suitable The lower and upper ends of the air-paspackings ol` paper or ler'tther` are interposifid; sage (i are closed by suitable, caps 1]., which `nit I have 'foundthat no matter how well are provided with central boltopenings,

seasoned the wood is there is always more or through which theI opposite ends ol" the bolt 8 less contraction and expansion under varypass. One end ol" this bolt, as the lower end, ing Climatic conditions, which is more or less is provided with a suitable, head 12, which liable to cause leaks, and thereby il'itfjsrlere engages the lower face ol" the lower cap 11 with the instantaneity of action oi the pncuand closes the lnilt-o'i'iening therein. The opinatics. lvhave also found that it is quite implosite or upper end extends some distance possible to provide a rigid clamping means to above the upper cap 11 and is provided with hold these valve shelves and their parts an adjusting-nut 13, between which and .the closely together to avoid leaks and the obupper cap 11. is interposial a still' spiral ject of my present invention is to provide spring 14, so that by screwingl the nut 13 yielding clamping means' which operate au- 'down firmly the spring- 14 'is compressed tomatically to hold the parts lirmly together against its own tension, thereby drawing the and to compensate for any shrinkage or exinterposed parts, such as the shelves A and parisien of the wood. This may be accoinseparator-blocks c hrnily together under a yielding tension and enabling these parts to expand or shrink slightly, the spring serving to prevent opening ot the joints. At the op-l posite end ot these shelves the bolt Q passes through and substantially [ills the opening 7 and has its opposite ends provided with suitable heads or shoulders and 1b, one of which, vas 16, consists of an adjustable nut. interposed between these heads 15. and 16 and the adjacent faces of the upper and lower shelves are yielding spring-Washers 17, which operate for the same purpose as the spiral spring 14, so that when the nut 1 (3 is tightened the shelves and separating-blocks are additionally drawn together under a yielding pressure, whereby any shrinkage or expanf sion may take place and still the washers 17 serve to prevent opening ot the joints.

ln Fig. 2 I have shown a section ot the shelves and separating-blocks through the air-passage 6; but instead ot using a rigid bolt, as seen in Fig. l, l provide the upper and lower caps 11 with suitable anchors 19 and 20, to which is connected a tensioned spring 21, extending vertically through the air-passage 6. The anchor 2() at the upper end is adjustable. by a nut 22, which enables the spring to be drawn to any desired tension for clamping the interposed parts, as the shelves and their supporti11g-blocks, firmly together 1 to jnevent opening of the joints in case ot any shrinkage or expansion.

It will be apparent that various other modiiications might be shown to carry out the object of my invention, the `.unde'rlying principle of which is to provide means tor autom atieally con'ipensating for any shrinkage or expansion of' the material from which the shelves are formed to prevent opening of the joints between the parts of said shelves which inelose the exhaust-chamber or air-passage. Therefore l do not limit myself to the constructions shown and described. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. in a self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of separable valve-shelves disposed one above the other and having registering wind-ports for direct communication with the interiors of the shelves7 and elanlping means passed through the registering port-s for drawing .the shelves together and includ ing a spring whereby the shelves are held together under yielding. pressure.

2. in a self'playing musical instrument, a plurality ot separable vi'ilve-shelves spaced apart, and intervening spacing-blocks, said shelves and blocks having registering windports for direct communieation between the shelves, a bolt passed through the wind-ports and attached to one of the outside shelves, and a yielding connection between the other end of the bolt and the other outside shelf, whereby said shelves are yieldingly clamped together.

[n witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 19th day ot A ugust, 1904.

Llli'i'ri B. DOMAN.

Nitnessem Nur'riu A. Binnnvs, Mrs. Tnoiuas lCiiLroiw. 

